Chakan The Forever Man - Sega Genesis Review

[@Moravia90s]

I always thought that he looked like an unused version of Iron Maiden's Eddie

[@drzazgi666]

with a little hint of Clint Eastwood

[@joesshows6793]

Yes!!!!

[@Oysterblade84]

An Iron Maiden game starring Eddie on the Mega Drive/Genesis would have been great back in the day, especially if it was a Japanese developed game using the Cube driver hell yeah! The Cube driver was good at emulating Steve Harris's bass guitar. Just listen to Zero Wing, the bass on that sounds like Steve Harris.

[@Lobo_Argent]

This. I can’t unsee it now

[@amrok2002]

That artwork must be totally Iron Maiden inspired, total spitting image of Eddie

[@MarcusVinicius-go4hg]

it's Christmas 1992, you are 6 years old and you got a Genesis with three newly released games: Chakan, Greendog and TaleSpin. wow thank you Sega of America

[@GameSack]

I like this comment a lot. Makes me wanna make a sketch like this.

[@BrettDulaney-hf8yd]

​@@GameSackget outta here joe your only here for the geeeen dawg,!!

[@MarcusVinicius-go4hg]

@@GameSack please :)

[@larrythebatmanfan]

Your forgetting sonic the hedgehog 2 !!!

[@DJspaceKadet]

Greeeeen doooogggg​@@BrettDulaney-hf8yd

[@drzazgi666]

Chakan was a truly horrifying game! I had actual nightmares because of it when I was a kid, to the point that I hid the game cartridge somewhere else, far away from the other Genesis games lol. As I grew older I realized about the 'true' ending which means that Chakan is literally trapped for all eternity and his soul will never rest. Brutal!

[@thehumbleone1983]

@drza yeah me too my gaming experience was very similar to you Charkan scared the hell out of me too

[@KarcusKorpse]

@@thehumbleone1983 I thought the character was bad ass. The Sega intro in this game was pretty cool too, but this game is brutal.

[@truehare]

This right here, THIS is the kind of game that would benefit from a remake: a game with great unrealized potential. Imagine a modern version of this game with the same visuals but in higher resolution, same basic gameplay, but with better level design, manageable enemy placement, and saving the game every time you completed a stage - and only then, to keep a high challenge level. I'd buy that day one.

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

Or just make it a good hack-and-slash with Doom Eternal visuals

[@SockFullOfCatLitter]

There was a planned remake for the Dreamcast, screenshots and all, but it never came to be.

[@99Vood99]

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't those Souls/Bloodbourne games or Rogue-like/lite games what you're looking for?

[@48hourrecordsteam45]

Sony already did a modern version just without the character likeness Bloodbourne

[@truehare]

C'mon, y'all, you're not getting what I'm saying here. I'm talking about remaking the game in exactly the same style: sidescrolling, hack'n'slash, with pixel art graphics (on a higher resolution, of course), only improving on what needs improving - especially level design, enemy spawning and placement, and a save system - but keeping the game essentially the same. That's the kind of remake I think we need more of.

[@rabidduck1089]

The hack that has some quality of life improvements, enemy balancing, and a slightly increased jump makes the game MUCH more enjoyable game to play.

[@happyspaceinvader508]

Yes, it’s well worth it to experience the game as it should have been.

[@kringhetto]

This game looked so damn cool back in the day. Thanks for the review!

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

I always hated this game but found the ending so damn funny. Like the ultimate middle finger to anyone insane enough to actually finish it. It's such a cool concept and everything surrounding it is awesome, but it's a huge example of "and then you play it".

[@zusk8556]

I met RAK at MegaCon years ago, he was a really pleasant, humble guy. He had his son there helping him at his booth, and you could tell he was stoked to be at his dad's side. Got to tell him I grew up with Chakan and enjoyed the comics as well as the Genesis game.

[@aquamarine7599]

He is seriously one of the nicest people I met at Cons.

[@Dilemina]

The Ads, character design, and everything about this game really got me excited as a kid with a Sega Genesis. It had the awesome look of the 90's anti-hero, and cool world and story. Luckily this one was only a rental for me, because I really really had no fun at all playing it.

[@davidscott9257]

i wanted to love this game so much, the graphics, sound, concept were so frickin cool to teenage me. but man it was just brutally unforgiving.

[@opaljk4835]

I always thought it was pronounced like “Shakan” like how I hear people say Chaka Kahn (the forever woman).

[@cd5sircoupe]

Oh Chaka. That just reminded me of this dude in my old friend group that has that for a nickname. I think his is based on the caveman kid in an old show called The Land of the Lost or something rather than the old 80s singer. The dude is incredibly... simple is probably the best way to put it, probably on the spectrum somewhere. Good guy though, and a tank of a human. If you need muscle, he's your guy. Just tell him whoever talked shit about his mom or something and stand back. I'll tell ya what, he does a mean manual on his bmx. One time that fucker rode around on one wheel for like six hours high on shrooms. He probably could have gone pro if his circumstances were different. Ok that's enough memory lane for me.

[@0x44_]

As someone who was also gaming back then, there's a sharp distinction between the "I will BEAT this!" attitude that prevailed back then, always seeking the hardest games, versus today's desire to respect the player's time. They're both equally valid and truthfully more indicative of the different eras. It's not that developers were sadistic, just that it was well known that American players wanted hard games.

[@RolandoMarreroPR]

Thank goodness for quality of life rom hacks! Would love to have this with more animations and remix sound tracks!

[@RetroPiero]

This is 1 of those Genesis games that everyone in their mother just happened to own back then, along with Sonic 2, Ecco, Aladdin, Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, Jurassic Park, Toe Jam & Earl, Altered Beast & Vector Man.

[@thenonexistinghero]

Never owned this one. Also never owned Ecco, SF2 and MK for the Mega Drive (did rent). And didn't own Sonic 2, but had cousin I could borrow it from and also S&K. And we had S1 and S3 ourselves. Not that we didn't own many popular games, we (me and my brother) had SoR2, Jurassic Park, Strider, Altered Beast and some more popular games. And we could borrow stuff we didn't have like SoR1 and 3, Kid Chameleon (amazing game, IMO), Shinobi, Decap Attack and a few more. Also had a few nice niche games like Jewel Master (which has one of the best stage 1 songs in all of gaming).

[@cd5sircoupe]

I dunno about your neighborhood kids in your neck of the woods, but nobody I knew owned this game in the 90s. The other titles though, that's some truth. Everybody had those games. I didn't even know about this game until like my mid 20s in like 2011 or something. Random game store find I picked up.

[@PaleHorseShabuShabu]

I really hope you mean "everyone AND their mother"

[@jabrondestoroyah]

This is the first time I'm hearing about ts

[@streetmagik3105]

I can't be the only one that called this Chaka Khan the Forever Man as a kid. 😂

[@OriginalMasters]

I sing the Chaka Khan song in our video of this game! 🤣

[@streetmagik3105]

@@OriginalMasters ha, that's great. I will definitely check out your video.

[@haphazardprism]

My dad worked in waste management and found this game in the dump when i was a kid 😂 i played it a little bit.

[@VenusHeadTrap2]

It’s one of my favorite games on the system.

[@Atrahasis7]

The art style and mood of the game was incredible, people have been asking for an actual cool modern remake of this series for decades. It would work perfectly as a metroidvania or soulslike which are similar zelda likes anyway. From Soft would do it perfectly, since they already dabble in Alchemy. Seriously all the ideas are so cool either remaster it with better gameplay or a modern 3d remake. Its so cool.

[@davidscott9257]

This would be an amazing game for Team Ladybug to remake.

[@1-eye-willy]

chakan is one of those "where the hell do i go" games

[@Izthefaithful]

Love your channel as I recently started collecting it’s nice to get I depth views on these games. Well done 👍

[@Sliider36]

there's a great fan hack/patch out there that increases time limit & slightly increases your jump height, among other small tweaks. yet still retains the game's core mechanics & gameplay. i highly recommend it for anyone interested in playing Chakan.

[@civrev]

Thanks for covering this. This game splashed so hard in 1992. There was nothing else like it at the time. I'm sure that fans of Drizzt Do'Urden took a liking as well.

[@DracXBelmont]

I really like this game. I think a bulk of the reviewers were right when they said it's a 'low-level' challenge only in the sense that the continues are unlimited, and if you know about the portal spell, you can skip the first 4 worlds on a replay if you need to continue. It doesn't completely mitigate the difficulty of course, but it does alleviate a lot of the problems people have with its length.

[@SHINSUSPECT01]

I used to watch my older brother play this for hrs on end back in the day. This title always fascinated me regardless of the difficulty

[@jordanbenson2980]

Favourite MD game, Never got past level 2

[@zhengistasbolatov8480]

Sounds just like my review of "The Adventures of Batman and Robin".

[@EpicLebaneseNerd]

I remember someone gifting me a soccer game that I think was kick off the last whistle, took it back and exchanged it for chankan, I never knew how this game will change me forever and turn me on to the amazing work of Gigger and then came my obsession with games like darkseed. This forever will be one of my most beloved genesis games, the soul crushing difficulty made me the souls like loved that I am today. I just wish one day I can repurchase this game in my isolated country.

[@sonkunhyperspinretroarch4867]

I see a hidden gem in this game, played it here and there before but never tried to play it seriously to beat it. I also like the fact that it's frustratingly hard, music doesn’t sound memorable but it suits what this game represents imo.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

I'm more of a Kid Chameleon kinda guy. Sigh.... Recreational Brainfart......the studio responsible for creating the GEMS sound driver. Oh, joy.

[@Planag7]

I know :/ you can tell by the sounds too

[@dnmstarsi]

Yep. With the exception of a couple of tunes (I enjoy the Hub and Wind Stage themes) these did not age well if at all.

[@happyspaceinvader508]

Both soundtracks came from Mark Miller. “Cave Area” from Kid Chameleon sounds remarkably similar to “Air Dimension 1” in Chakan. I’m usually able to see past the sharp edges of the GEMS created soundtracks, but many tracks in Chakan test even my patience. Mark Miller did some fantastic sounds track, such as Earthworm Jim, Robocop vs Terminator and Krusty’s Super Funhouse

[@drakewaterston7447]

The kids I was in after school daycare with and I somehow managed our way through this game for a good few days. Going back is ridiculous, idk how we had the patience.

[@Mid-TierMechaPilot]

I remember this game being massively hyped back when it came out. I recall the difficulty being pushed as kind of a badge of pride by some publications. I had the same experience as you. It was more difficult than it needed to be and for all the wrong reasons.

[@cd5sircoupe]

Never had this game as a kid growing up, but I stumbled across it CIB at a local game shop at some time in the 2010s. I have only played a couple of levels, but the game seemed really interesting. Believe me, I've heard about the difficulty and I've experienced it first hand. It's such a cool game though, it really is a shame it's not better. I'll have to check out that patched rom you mentioned, might as well put my Genesis mini to use right?

[@Garbage_Pail_Kid]

I owned and loved so much about this game, but I never finished it. It would be great to see a fan-influenced remake/homage a la Sonic Mania.

[@civrev]

This game was fantastic. it was unique, but difficult. It's a lot like Ed Annunziata's other creation: Ecco the Dolphin.

[@MaidenHell1977]

I bought this game strictly because he looks like Eddie from Iron Maiden. It's nuts, haha

[@fahadyousuf2525]

I love your thumbnails man!!! so Catchy!

[@jogueantesdemorrer246]

This is one of my favorite Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games! I played for the first time in 1993 in my local "pay for play" rent store in Brazil and love it to death. I agree that the level design and some other aspects could be a lot better, but i love the game regardless. I was very desapointed when i heard that Chakan 2 for the Dreamcast was scrapped. This and Castlevania Resurrection was some of the games that i would love to play at the time.

[@murder.simulator]

Loved everything about it! Loved the dark music, the weapons to collect were more useful against different type of enemies, the double jump, the 8 way directional attacks. Like a lot of other people say I couldn't finish it

[@Nalaztre]

I recall you had already reviewed this one and called it horrible; maybe it was on an anthology episode. I didn't play it back then, but, man, that box art really caught my eye! I just could never forget it.

[@CleeshoeArt]

MY EARS!!!!

[@Silks]

Goddamn '92 was incredible. No wonder I was such a happy kid

[@SneakyMuskrat]

Neat seeing harder old games that we likely never got to see all of as a kid.

[@danbauer3669]

I remember this game looking so cool in the comic book ads. I played the GG version first, then SG not long after. Never finished it but it has an addictive challenge to it.

[@demonology2629]

Perfect game for Halloween and also awesome soundtrack. And the way you can hold the button in and you're attacking with swords sticking out, is just phenomenal along with the spinning slash jump💀⚔️

[@oregonborn9769]

Love your videos man! Would love more on the turbografx and maybe the jaguar? But I love all your dreamcast saturn and game gear videos

[@robertdanker6193]

I tried playing this game back in the day but could never get anywhere and gave up. Totally agree with the review.

[@soulintake]

The mood and the ambiance were so much better than the actual game itself

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

With the massive decline of challenging games outside of the Soulsborne series during the Xbox 360/PS3/Wii and XBone/PS4/WiiU generations; Chakan: The Forever Man to this day remains one of the most brutal games in history.

[@Sitharii]

when i was a kid i had a friend who had the incredible talent to play 2-player games by only himself ,he was able to play Double Dragon (DOS) 2-player mode😲 incredibly well and i used to love to sit and watch him☺ ... so this game here would have been a good test for my friend's talents !! Chakan seems very impressive graphically(and the sound seems OK) though...

[@SteveCirelli]

I almost had the same experience. That cover looked so cool. So glad I couldn't afford it.

[@igodreamer7096]

Beautiful pixel art, good soundtrack and terrible gameplay loop. The hack for it made by BillyTime Game! helps, but I feel bad for the comic creator. This game could bring a whole new audience of fans to the comics, if it only was more fair to play. Great video, Sega man! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@andrewkramer8716]

I've waited almost 6 years to see u make this video 🎉🎉

[@ericwolf2602]

I'm in the camp of people who only got a new game 2 maybe 3 times a year. So when me and my brother got this we worked hard trying to beat it. We got really far spending entire Friday and Saturday nights trying but never finished It. It is indeed too hard. However when I started collecting Genesis games later in life it was one of the first I went for. Probably for that nostalgia I can't get back. And I sure don't have the patience for it as a busy adult but can still appreciate it for what it tried to be all the same. Also that soundtrack is great!

[@bradleylovej]

I got this in a sega collection as an adult, and I have to say that I love this game. It's everything you said it was: hard, terrible platforming, terrible level design, enemies take way too much damage, etc. But man, it's just such a weird and interesting game. I love playing it every so often

[@SpartanDiab]

Now this is a box art i've not seen since blockbuster rentals! I don't think i've ever seen it being played until right now.

[@mintydog06]

I miss the 16 bit era when random stuff like Chakan will show up. I got it for my birthday one year and quite enjoyed it, but I haven't played it since the day

[@elgoog-the-third]

I for one am glad that there's a fan patch for this one.

[@ArBleizhMor]

I played this game several times on the Sega Channel back when I was probably like 10 years old or so. This and Sega CD gave me the experience of games that are basically traps. They look so good, and sound so good, and have such great atmosphere that it lures you in, and the fun factor is so nonexistent, and it's such a drudgery, that you a) don't believe it because of how well put together everything else is so you think there's some chance you're the problem and b) feel pressured to continue. In a way, it being so good in terms of presentation makes the game even worse, because it makes you to suffer more. Good to see a review that so accurately fits my memory as a child of this game.

[@da5e]

So much of this review is PRECISELY what I thought of Blasphemous when that came out.

[@DJspaceKadet]

Sega Lord x, the friend I wish I had in the 90s

[@deepstothepeeps]

I didn't play Chakan until I was an adult, though I knew of it as a kid. It definitely takes a certain amount of fortitude to stomach. I, actually, felt pretty good beating the first set of stages, though it took me a while. I wasn't able to complete the second set because I was emulating it and I got stuck being unable to drop through a platform that I should have been able to. Regardless, yes, the game is tough as nails and the level design is something out of a nightmare. Honestly, though, I think that almost adds to its charm, in a weird, twisted way. As a kid, I would have found it tough and I doubt it would have hooked me enough to see it through to the end, but, as an adult, I can appreciate it as a game that is emblematic of the early 90's; from the comic book source material to the difficulty to the look and sound, it's all there.

[@markshadows3667]

I collected a lot of indie comics growing up so i remember buying Chakan the books. Was so excited for this game. But cannot remember anything about it.

[@Serpicoprime]

I always loved this game as a kid. Never got anyway in it and never understood what was happening but i just loved it. Kinda still do lol

[@glennrugar9248]

I remember my older cousin endlessly playing Evander holyfield boxing on his genesis while I waited, just wanting to play Sonic.

[@PaleHorseShabuShabu]

A friend of mine rented this game one weekend and had the same complaints as SLX. I remember loving the concept and the visuals, but it became apparent rather quickly that the brutal difficulty was going to make sure Chakkan stayed on the shelf forever, never to be rented again. I'd love to see a remaster, one that matched the level design with the character's abilities.

[@sephirothishere1]

1992 was a great year

[@stucazzo2000]

Most, if not all mags praised Bubsy back in the day. The game had good visuals and sound, but the gameplay, level design, and cheap deaths ruined the game. Some publishers or devs must have paid these people some cash to give higher scores than what they deserved. I don't know how Bubsy got so highly reviewed, but you didn't hear anything about the game afterwards, except in today's gaming world where Bubsy is panned.

[@dnmstarsi]

This is a game I still have some fondness over as one of the final games my brother got for the Genesis before we moved on to bigger consoles. The game can be unforgivable with its difficulty and sound as well as the ending(s) but I still think it's worth playing for a bit just to see whether or not it's worth investing time into with its tone and attempt at this kind of gameplay.

[@yuripetrovic7606]

Loved this game. Plays kind of like Alien Soldier in that, once you "figure out how it works" and know the location layouts and alchemy spells that can be useful (particularly high jump, elemental swords and full heal) you can tear through it with relative ease. Should've had a double tap to run feature instead of rolling though.

[@mattb6522]

Man, I remember renting this game as a kid. I played through part of the first level, got aggravated with its design and just sort of gave up on it. Even as a kid, I didn't have the patience to play much of this one. I just didn't find any of it fun. I may give the "Ultimate Chakan" hack a try to see if I can squeeze any enjoyment out of it now.

[@llpBR]

I remember a friend of mine talking about this game when I was a kid and I got immediate interest on it due to the story. When I played it I thought the controls were terrible and felt so many times in the first area pitfalls that I just gave up. Then returned and tried again and again and in the end I always hated it. I really thought you were going to say something different here and make me want to give it another try but you agreed with me and you played it way more than I did

[@mendez704]

One of my best friends in life (may he rest in peace) played this game to exhaustion in his adolescence...he had mixed feelings for it.

[@Mattybot3000]

Spot on review! Chakan had killer graphics and music for it's time. I wanted the game to be fun so bad, but it was frustrating. I wish someone would make a rom hack for it.

[@cosigi]

Such a great vibe, I was bummed for the cancellation of 2

[@JustPeasant]

Chakan's overall design draws heavily metaly from the works of Derek Rigs in the '80s.

[@ericlevenchuck6212]

I KNEW I had seen a character that looked like the Creeper somewhere.

[@gugudias19]

For me this game fits in "almost there" category.

[@doomedmeatslab3100]

I love this game. It takes effort though until you get good at it, then you can pretty mich fly through the game. There is always a safe path, its all about timing and memorizing.

[@TiffanyRyeMarston]

I love this game and the idea behind it. The character and the music and art design. that being said I can totally see why others don’t. The level design can be downright frustrating. And some of those jumps

[@wirlogx]

This was one of my friend's favorite games. I always questioned why he liked this game... but well... maybe some people do liked the dificulty of this game.

[@13Carrey1]

Agree with the Visuals and the Concepts also i would like to play that nowadays too maybe as a remaster with the modern features :)

[@robt.v.8688]

WTF I never knew this was a comic book. How the hell did I miss this

[@jmullner76]

Totally right about this one. This one I had, and I remember yelling at the scream saying "this game cheats!"

[@noahmichael2213]

This game is the perfect candidate for rom hack improvements

[@Mankey619]

This game looks very cool. The graphics and the nightmarish atmosphere is indeed very fun to watch. If only they made the gameplay fun for players to enjoy. With its cheap difficulties.

[@GlerpidyGlarson]

I've never heard of this before and I had so many Sega games. Interesting

[@ShanetheFreestyler]

Imagine staring at an hour glass for 15 minutes.

[@joezar33]

Almost a shame, no "World of Warcraft player" who rolls Undead named their self *Chakan*

[@REDFlELD]

I did play this game long time ago, 28 years ago i think. I dont hate this game, infact i love it very much. The only complaint i have is there is no ending cutscene, just the hour glass after beating the final boss.

[@heilong79]

I enjoyed the games dark atmosphere but the game design and difficulty was annoying with choppy frame rate and bad hit detection, I did finish the game but had to rent it twice. I do enjoy the intro. Bllod Omen 2 was going to be a follow up to this game.

[@AskDrannik]

I heard a story once that Blood Omen 2, the Legacy of Kain game, started out development as a Chakan sequel. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but that is how I first heard of this game. I wonder if those indie comics have ever been reprinted or archived. I would love to read them sometime.

[@PANTYEATR1]

I co-sign Sega Lord X 100%! I still own this game and i have a love/hate relationship with it. I STILL haven't beaten this game and I've owned it since it came out. The hit detection and combat should have been more along the lines of Golden Axe. There are some stages that you will get stuck on with no options of how to get unstuck. The missions aren't intuitive and it really needs a continuation code or battery back up. I want to play this game and conquer it, but i don't want to deal with the trauma. 😐

[@PnC_GameZnThingZ]

This was one of my Nintendo kid video game magazine dreams

[@bigbaddawg101]

Because I was a dumb kid back in the day, I thought this was a game about the Quaker Man from Poltergeist 2.

[@towardstar]

This is one of those games that had the potential to be so much better. For me personally I love the grim ambiance and sense of descending into ghastly realms at the fringes of creation to pull off unlikely deeds. It's just too annoyingly hard though.

[@askeworbit]

LOL I thought it was me! The GG version was sadistic too.

[@felipeguajardo7141]

My favourite megadrive Game 😍

[@gokusondbz]

Nostalgic 😢

[@EpicLebaneseNerd]

i just need to say 1 thing to SLX, i think ''skill issues'' is the problem, but just kidding, when u said u were 17 years old, i think u had other things to do with ur day, when the game came out, i was 12 years old and had nothing to do all day but sit and play video games and we never turned it off, sometimes leaving it overnight, so the game wasn't hard for kids like us. And to be fair, in 1992, i had no idea about battery saves or even passwords, so it came natural, the game was hard, but the good kind of hard, the kind of game u don't pay $50 for and finish it in a weekend, so that is why we loved it ever more. and yes, i will die on that hill defending this game from Heretics like you my dear SLX.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

Spider-Man was one of my first genesis games. I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit but I probably played this one for less than five minutes before shutting it off.

[@Chaz4543]

Spider-Man is still a bit better than this game.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

@@Chaz4543 Yea. Its not a great game but it was exciting after coming right off the NES. The soundtrack was pretty dark and memorable and the gameplay was pretty enjoyable. I got it with the OG Sonic The Hedgehog on a birthday so that was cool.

[@Chaz4543]

@@theconsolekiller7113 Yeah, Spider-Man was more colorful and pleasant to look at and was more fun. Chakan is a dark, dreary, depressing mess and is not fun.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

@@Chaz4543 Good points. Yea, the gameplay really didnt help. Loved Splatterhouse 1 and 2 but those had great gameplay.

[@Kazemaru]

Oh man i was just playing this game 2 weeks ago. I was comparing the original game and the rom hack. I feel this game needs a remake!